Prospect Price For Robbie Ray Stings, But Doesn't Hurt As Much To Add A No. 1 Pitcher

[Steve Drumwright]

For two months and a possible postseason series or four, the San Diego Padres paid a good price to acquire 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray from the San Francisco Giants.

The prospects the Padres gave up are right-handed starter Miguel Mendez, Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, and shortstop Joniel Hernandez, the Friars' top international signing this year. With the Giants paying half of the remaining $7.35 million on Ray's contract, the Padres had to give up a little bit more to get the left-handed starter.

Mendez is well-known to Padres fans and was in danger of being exposed to the other MLB teams in this offseason's Rule 5 draft if not placed on the 40-man roster. The 24-year-old. who was at Double-A San Antonio, just returned from a right shoulder injury, making a rehab appearance at High-A Fort Wayne on Tuesday, where he pitched a perfect first inning, striking out one, before exiting.

Mendez, who signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, has been on the injured list twice this year, for about three weeks in April-May, then a month beginning in late June before returning last week. He has made 12 starts this year, pitching 35⅔ innings with a 10.9% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate. His walk rate is much improved from 14.9% in 2024.

Since making his debut in 2021, Mendez has made 101 appearances, including 79 starts, with a 4.52 ERA. Mendez has a tremendous fastball and still has potential, as he didn't begin pitching until six months before signing with the Padres. He has excellent athleticism and is effective with a three-quarters delivery. In addition to a mid- to upper-90s fastball, Mendez also has a nice slider and changeup. The changeup was a developing pitch that had a 37% miss rate last year.

With the Padres still in contention mode, finding a spot on the 40-man roster this offseason might have been difficult.

Hernandez is a 17-year-old out of Cuba who received a $1.4 million signing bonus. He has been playing in the Dominican Summer League, where he has put together a .303/.424/.503 slash line with four homers and 43 RBIs in 41 games. He also had four steals in eight attempts.

With a wiry frame at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Hernandez has the tools to stay at shortstop with a strong arm and being a plus runner, skills that could also translate as a center fielder if the infield doesn't pan out. His plate approach, including a leg kick, is something that needs to be worked on, but at least in the DSL this summer has been producing decent results.

Overall, the price to bring in a No. 1 starter ahead of Michael King and reducing the Padres' chaos pitching plan a bit seems fairly appropriate without doing too much damage to their prospects.

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